A House By The Lake
by Sofia13
Summary: Cat is a successful young lady, soon to be married to the most perfect man there is. At least in her parents eyes. But she feels like something is missing. A spark.
1. Painful Introductions

"I can't believe you! You always do that!" The red haired woman in the passenger seat yelled.

"Just shut up for five minutes! Can you do that? Cause you're pissing me off right now." The man driving gave her an annoyed look as he ran his hand through his brown fluffy hair.

"You're such an asshole!"

"Excuse me?" He said taking his eyes from the road to look at the very flustered girl.

Suddenly, all the color was drawn from her face. Her eyes widen in horror as she screamed.

"Beck! Watch out!"

It wasn't until he heard the sound of something hitting his car that he realized he had just run over someone.

_~A couple of hours before~_

_"So have you decided on the date yet?" Mr. Valentine looked up at his daughter._

_"She can't even make up her mind about the minor details; I'm not expecting her to decide on the date soon." Beck interrupted._

_Cat shot him daggers before turning to her dad._

_"I'll decide on the date whenever I feel like it. You two pressuring me to pick a date isn't going to make me decide faster."_

_"Honey, you've been engaged for 8 months now and you don't even know the date. Do you know how many people have asked your father if the wedding was really going to happen?" Mrs. Valentine added._

_"Gosh, it always comes to this. You'll have a date soon."_

_"You're not getting any younger Cat and I want to have kids." Beck said._

_"Are you serious right now?" She threw her napkin on the floor and stormed out of the table._

The sound of tires screeching echoed as Beck attempted to brake. But by the time the car stopped, the body had already been projected at least 15 feet. Cat threw the car door open and quickly ran to the man on the ground, kneeling by his side.

"Sir? Can you talk?" She asked but he just groaned in reply. "Beck, call 911!"

Beck was frozen in his place, leaning against the car completely shocked. Not wanting to waste any more time, Cat took her phone out to call 911 herself.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"I need an ambulance. There's been an accident…"

* * *

His eyes were shut as he groaned in pain. With each sound that his lips let escape, a tear would roll down Cat's cheek. She was responsible for that. She was responsible for his bent leg in that weird shape, for his bleeding head, for his state.

The sight itself just made her sink with guilt. He was moaning and breathing heavily, only one shoe on his feet. The other had flied off with the force of the impact.

"The ambulance will be here in no time."

"I-I can't feel my legs." The man spoke for the first time.

"C-Cat…"

She looked up to see Beck with pleading eyes. Realization hit her as her eyes widen at such suggestion. She got up, feeling completely outraged.

"Don't you even dare leaving me and him here! You just ran over a man!" She hissed. "You have to confront the consequences. Running from the cops isn't going to solve anything. Actually it would make things worse for you."

The sirens were getting louder. With one last glare at her fiancé, Cat made her way to the paramedics.

"Can you tell me what are you feeling?" One of them said as they got him in the ambulance stretcher and putting him in a neck collar.

"He can't feel his legs." Cat replied for him.

"Has he been conscious the entire time?"

"Yes. He's in a lot of pain." She stated the obvious.

"We'll take care of him ma'am."

"Wait!" She called out as the put him in the back of the ambulance. "Can I go with him?"

"Cat-" Beck tried to protest only to be shushed by Cat.

"Can I?"

"Yes. C'mon."

* * *

In the hospital, Cat was guided to a waiting room. She was pacing back and forth with worry. Her phone kept ringing but she kept ignoring it. But enough was enough so she pressed the answer button.

"What Beck?"

"Can you please just come home?" He asked annoyed.

"I don't know how you manage to not feel the slightest affected by this."

"Cat it's been 6 hours! You don't even know that man!"

"You don't know him either and you just ruined his life!"

"Oh, now you're being a drama queen. He'll be fine, it wasn't that big of a deal."

"Bye Beck."

She hung up before he even had the chance to protest.

* * *

"Ma'am?" Cat was woken up by a nurse. "The doctor said you could see him now."

The red headed girl jolted up, happy that she, at last, was allowed to see him. It was already past 2:30 am and she wondered what took so long. The nurse, who looked just a bit older than Cat, guided her to a room at the end of the hall. The location was a bit sinister as Cat had been always afraid of hospitals. She had always hated the plain, lifeless white of the walls and the intense smell of sanitizer.

"He's in there. If you need anything just call." The older woman said to Cat who smiled in return.

She shakily opened the door, terrified of what might await her on the other side. However she was surprised at the sight of the man they had hit with their car earlier. She was expecting a bunch of broken members and banged up face and head. Instead, the man was lying in the hospital bed with a white hospital gown and cast on his left leg.

"Hi." She softly said walking up to him.

"Hey. You're still here…You're the one who brought me right?"

"Yeah…I'm also the girlfriend of the guy that hit you…" She awkwardly informed.

"Oh. He's here too?" He glanced at the door.

"No. Just me. How are you feeling?"

"Eh. Not too bad now. Just a bit tired."

"You stayed in the emergency room for so long. Why all the delay?"

"I had to wait like two hours just to take some x-rays. After that a nurse took me to a little room where a doctor twisted and pulled my leg to go back in its place. And then he stabbed a gigantic needle to extract all the internal blood and liquid from my knee." He said making Cat wince.

"Then I had just to wait because they didn't know if I was going to get surgery but they decided against it so they put the cast on it." He finished nodding to his leg.

"So, not gonna get surgery? That's good, right?"

"I guess. The doctor told me they were gonna wait to see if the leg healed with the cast and hopefully an operation isn't going to be needed. But it's not certain yet."

For a couple of minutes the woman was quiet, obviously deep in thought. The young man studied her while she nervously twisted her ruby locks in her fingers and he noticed how fragile and shaken she seemed. There wasn't much light in the room since it was already so late but he could still make out the purple circles that were starting to form under her eyes and he wondered if she had slept at all since they got to the hospital.

"You okay?" He cautiously asked.

"I-…Yeah, I'm fine. You're the one who got hit by our car sir and I'm…I'm so sorry. It's all my fault cause Beck and I were arguing and I shouldn't have distracted him and-" Cat didn't stopped to breathe as she tried to apologize to the awful event.

"Robbie." He interrupted her, not wanting the beautiful woman to feel bad.

"What?"

"You called me sir. It's…weird. I'm Robbie."

"Well, I'm really sorry for what happened Robbie and I know words don't really matter right now cause you're already in an hospital bed not knowing if you need surgery or not and I-"

"Your name?" Robbie interrupted again.

"I…uhm, I'm Cat."

"Look Cat, it happened. There's no need to cry over spilled milk. I'm not mad at you. Or that Beck fella. It was an accident."

The stress accumulated from the long day started to show and tears started to fall as she broke down. She felt so guilty for all of this, for his state. She just wanted this to be a nightmare but she knew that not even the hardest pinch could wake her up. This was all too real.

"Hey, hey, don't cry…"

"I'm so sorry." She sobbed.

"I forgive you. Just…please stop crying. You're kinda freaking me out…just a little bit. I don't usually know what to do in these situations."

"Sorry. I just feel really bad."

"Maybe it's time for you to go home. Go rest, I can see you're exhausted. Is your boyfriend picking you up?"

"No. I'm not going home tonight. I already told him I was gonna spend the night here."

"Nonsense. You need to rest."

"But I don't wanna go home. I feel bad as it is. Plus, I don't really feel like seeing Beck. And I'm too tired to fight with him." She looked up at him with a hint of hope in her voice.

"If you want to then I won't oppose. Are you sure you're going to be fine in that chair though? Doesn't look comfy." He tried to change her mind.

"I'll be fine." Cat smiled.

Robbie felt an odd feeling clenching is chest. This was too out of the ordinary for him. He wasn't used to feel...cared about. It was all to weird for him. But he also felt some comfort with her presence. He knew he had no one he could turn to so maybe he should appreciate while she was by his side. Tomorrow she would return to her normal life and then he would be alone in a cold hospital.

Not that he minded being alone. That's how he had been all of his life. He liked the loneliness and enjoyed the silence. But he missed having someone there for him at times, not that he'd ever admit it. So it was nice having her here, worried for his well-being. And as she rested her head on the bed, taking his hand in her soft ones he couldn't help but smile.

* * *

**A/N: Hey :) Guess what day it is today? Exactly one year ago I posted my very first story "When Forever Began" so to celebrate I decided to post a new story! :D I was gonna post a one-shot but got cold feet so I posted this instead.**

**So I'm planning this story to be a short one, probably like 10 chapters. And hopefully the beginning wasn't too confusing!**

**Review and favorite/follow cause that always brightens up my day :)**

** xo –Sofia**


	2. Returning To Normality

Robbie woke up for what felt like the umpteenth time that night. Though he tried to fight the pain, it was becoming unbearable and all he wanted right now was a nurse with more meds to relieve him from it. He looked for the orange help button but didn't seem to find it anywhere. He then spotted it under Cat's arm where he couldn't quite reach it without waking up the peacefully sleeping girl so he decided he would bear with the pain a little while longer and try to go back to sleep himself.

The petite woman was a light sleeper so she sensed the movement and woke up just as Robbie settled back in his pillow.

"Everything's okay?" She rubbed the sleep of her eyes to properly look at him.

"I'm…" He closed his eyes groaning a bit. "I need the nurse."

Cat immediately caught the look of pain in his face and jolted up. "Oh I'll go find-"

"There's an orange button." Robbie pointed.

"Oh, right." She reached for the button and pushed it at least three times.

Not a minute later a nurse was entering the room. Cat had Robbie's hand in her grasp, softly rubbing circles in the back of his hand while he kept his eyes closed biting his lip to avoid any sound from coming out.

"What's the matter?" The woman asked.

"He's in a lot of pain. Can't you turn up that thingy?" Cat asked pointing to the IV machine.

"Is it really bad?" She turned to Robbie getting only a weak nod as a reply.

Cat watched her with concern as she messed with the IV machine, turning it up a little more. Her eyes went from the nurse to Robbie who was almost contorting in pain.

"I'll be right back."

"Robbie…" Cat faintly said feeling helpless. "It'll be over before you know it. She'll make it all better."

Robbie squeezed her hand a little tighter as a new wave of pain hit him.

"Okay…Robbie?" The nurse said as she returned. "I need you to turn to your left side so I can give you a shot. It will help the pain go away faster."

The young man did as he was told with Cat's help. The nurse subtly raised his hospital gown so she could administrate the meds with a shot in his butt.

* * *

Robbie woke up to see Cat talking to the police in the hallway. The nurse came to check on him and everything looked fine. Robbie was no longer in excruciating pain and his vitals looked normal.

"How are you feeling today Mr. Shapiro?"

"Uhm, I'm fine. What's the police doing here?" He asked intrigued.

"Oh, they need to finish the paper work. They were here yesterday to talk to her and they'll probably want to talk to you today."

Robbie only nodded continuing to watch the two.

"On a scale from one to ten, how is your pain today?"

"Uhm…7."

"That's good. Yesterday you seemed to be at 11." The nurse joked.

"Okay. Thank you officer." Cat said before making her way back to the room. "Hey, you're up. How are you feeling?"

"Better. Everything's alright?" Robbie nodded to the hallway where Cat had been just moments ago.

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry." She smiled.

"You know I don't wanna press charges, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't wanna press charges. It was an accident. Plus I don't wanna be spending money on lawyers and time on courts just to screw you guys over."

"But, Robbie-"

"No Cat, I'm serious. I don't want any legal trouble. Just let's keep this simple, okay?"

The red headed girl was left confused, not really knowing what to say. She was conflicted in doing what was right and what he asked her to do. But…_ultimately it was his choice, right?_ After all, he was the victim here.

"I suppose we can keep this as simple as possible but don't you think we…I don't know…owe you something?"

* * *

The argument went on for a good while and Robbie was keeping his stand as Cat soon realized her efforts were useless. _He just wouldn't change his mind._ Interrupting the twosome on their back and forth, Cat's phone rang and the girl immediately sighed when she saw her future husband's name in the ID caller.

"I have to take this." She said as she excused herself and left the room, clicking the green button on the screen of her Pearphone. "Hello?"

"And finally she picks up and stops ignoring me." Beck sarcastically said. "I called you earlier. It went straight to voicemail."

"Robbie was still asleep and I didn't want to wake him up." She informed, annoyed with his attitude.

"Look, I know you feel guilty and you want to redeem yourself but you've been there with him for a whole day Cat. 24 hours! It's getting ridiculous. This has to stop and you need to come home." He said sternly.

"But Beck-"

"Sweetheart," he sighed before continuing. "Let the laywers handle this. He will be fine with a good monetary reward, okay?"

"He doesn't want to press charges…" Cat mumbled.

"He doesn't?" Beck asked astonished. "Honey! That's great! That's…That's fantastic news!"

Cat could sense the happiness and relief in his tone of voice which angered her a bit but she said nothing about it.

"I'll pick you up in 10, okay? We'll go home and just forget that this whole thing happened."

"I…" She wanted to argue with him, to tell him off but she didn't have the energy so she only agreed. "Sure. I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you too."

Cat returned to the room and made her way to the right side of the bed.

"You okay?"

"Yep." He smiled.

"Beck's picking me up in a bit…I…" There was a silence before Cat found her voice again. "I just wanna tell you I really- we really appreciate your gesture of not pressing charges."

She reached for her purse and dove in, searching for something. After a few moments she found what she was looking for handing it to Robbie afterwards.

_Caterina Valentine_

_ Talent Manager_

_ HA Records_

"My contact is on the back." She said as Robbie carefully turned the card around to see the digits on the other side. "If you ever, ever need anything, please don't hesitate to give me a call, okay?"

Robbie nodded half-heartedly, putting the card aside.

"Well, I better get going…It was nice meeting you Robbie even…in this awful circumstance…I- I'm terribly sorry for what happened. Don't hesitate to call me, okay?"

"Don't worry Cat. Got your card." He said as he picked the card in between his index and middle finger waving it slightly.

"Keep me updated, will you?"

"Sure." He let out a small chuckle.

Cat moved forward to hug him without thinking twice about her actions leaving Robbie a bit perplexed. He was not used to this kind of situation_, showing affection,_ not even with the people he knew let alone a stranger.

The foreign feeling was out of his comfort zone so he awkwardly patted her back not knowing what he was supposed to do.

"Well, I wish you all the best of luck in your life Robbie. Get well soon."

He nodded as he watched her leave. For some odd reason he felt his chest clench at the sight, missing the warmth that surrounded him for the seconds she had her tanned arms around him. But it was time for life to return to normal and reality set in. _He was alone again._

* * *

Cat took a deep breath as she opened the passenger door of her fiancé's red sports car. She sat there looking at her lap not daring to say a word.

"I'm glad you decided to come home." The Canadian model said taking her hand in his. "I know I didn't have the best attitude towards the situation."

"You really didn't Beck." Cat replied shifting her gaze from her lap to the window.

"Let me make it up to you. Let's go home, get change so we can have a romantic dinner. We can go to that Italian place you love so much." He sweetly asked.

Cat wanted to stay mad at him but she really didn't have a choice. Her mind was made up when he reached for her hand, rubbing his thumb over her delicate hand.

"Sure." The petite girl smiled gently at him looking into his brown eyes as a sign of her forgiveness. "Let's go."

Beck grinned, pleased that she didn't hold any grudge against him and that she wasn't mad anymore. He stole a quick, tender kiss before driving off, the hospital and the accident being left behind and forgotten as if it had never happened.

* * *

**A/N: I'm so so so sorry :x But it's here now so please don't kill me! I love you guys so much and I'm gonna work my ass off to get another chapter updated today to make it up to you guys, kay? Kay ^.^It's all good! Excuse me for any mistakes. I'll edit it when I have time. I just really wanted to give you guys something.**

**Please review and all that jazz. I need motivation to double update! :D**

**Love you guys and thank you for being so patient!**

** xo –Sofia **


	3. A Crack In The Darkness

"Hey honey?"

"Hm?" Beck said walking in the kitchen to see Cat with an envelope in her hand.

He wrapped is hands around her from behind and gently kissed her neck as she intently read the paper.

"We just got a letter from the hospital Robbie was in…"

"Who?" He replied only focusing on leaving a trail of hot kisses up her neck.

"Robbie? The guy you ran over? It seems like he's back in the hospital…" She scrunched up her face trying to read the letter but not being able to concentrate with Beck's affection.

Two weeks and a half had passed since the accident. Robbie had gotten out of the hospital after one week and a half though she only knew this because the hospital had informed the police which later informed Beck. He didn't bother to call her or text as she had asked and though she was a little hurt, she figured he must have lost her card.

"He's getting an emergency surgery?" She gasped pushing Beck away a bit making him protest. "Focus here Beck. Robbie needs surgery."

"What do I have to do with it?" Beck whined not really in the mood to talk about Robbie while he was trying to get her attention.

If looks could kill, Beck would be dead the minute those words came out of his mouth.

"Why did they even send you a letter warning his surgery?"

"I don't know! How would I know? They did have our address because I gave it to them when I stayed the night with him…"

He saw the look on her face and immediately rolled his eyes walking away from her. He knew what was coming next, _he just knew it._

"Do you think we should go see him? You know…wishing him good luck or…I don't know. It's the polite thing to do, isn't it?"

"Sweetheart, we did our part. He didn't want any legal involvement. He's not our responsibility and we definitely don't _have_ to visit him because it's «the polite thing to do»" He air-quoted.

"I mean…why not?"

"Cat, he's a grown man and you're a stranger…Why would the guy even want to see you anyway?"

"I just think it would be a nice gesture, that's all!"

"Look, I know you. You get emotionally attached to things and people too easily and it just messes everyone's life."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Just that you…you can't separate…ugh just forget it. You wanna go visit him? Go ahead."

"Will you come with me?" She pleaded, hugging him close and looking up at him.

"No Cat. I have some business to take care with your Dad."

"Since when do you and my dad «do business together»?" She skeptically asked.

"Honey, you already knew your Dad and I had been working together for the last couple of months. I told you."

"I know, I just didn't think you were being serious about it. What about the modeling agency? Are you quitting?"

"I'm thinking about it." He told her sitting in a bench of the kitchen island. "What do you think I should do?"

"Well…that's surprising. I didn't know you were actually committed to working with my dad. Is something wrong with the agency?"

Cat made her way to him and sat on his lap, concerned that she might have forgotten anything important he might have told her.

"No…I just feel like it's my time to quit and move on. I'm not 18 anymore. Besides, modeling just doesn't satisfy me like it used to…And I also want a job I can proudly take my son to work, teach him the ways of the business so he can grow up and take on my legacy." He smiled reaching down and kissing her stomach.

"Well, you're getting ahead of herself Beck because there's nothing in there besides the burger and fries I had for lunch." Cat patted his shoulder and hopped out of his lap. "I'm off to see Robbie. You're sure you don't wanna come?"

"Positive. Are you taking your car or do you need me to drive you?"

"I'll drive, don't worry. Have fun with my dad." Cat gave him a quick kiss before grabbing her purse and keys and stepping out of the apartment.

On the drive there she got a call from Andre warning her about some changes in Tori's schedule in the studio. Andre Harris was the founder and owner of HA Records, the company Cat worked, and Tori was Cat's number one client –and priority –as she was the big money maker for the company.

Cat had always loved showbiz but music had always been a big part of her life. With her dad's business skills that she sure was taught from a young age, she quickly became a successful young lady in the music industry.

"Kay 'Dre, I'll make sure she's there at 3."

"Thanks Lil'Red. I'll talk to you later."

"You too. Bye."

Andre was also a good friend of hers from high school. They knew each other even before Andre decided to enroll the new project and it was actually through him that Cat and Beck met each other since at the time, Beck was still in Canada.

She parked the car in the crowded hospital lot just as Andre hung up. Before she hopped out of the car, she made sure she scheduled the studio session in her agenda knowing she sometimes forgot about scheduling important things. Luckily Andre was a good friend and hadn't fired her yet –though she knew she was good at what she did.

She hurried to the building not intending to stay for long. There was still so much she had to do with the wedding plans and Tori. She needed to just make a quick trip, do the polite thing of wishing Robbie good luck and then get back home and start working.

"Hi. I'm here to see Robert Shapiro." She told the receptionist.

"Room 47 dear. You just go that way and take a left on the second hallway."

"Thank you very much."

The red headed beauty tried to follow the instructions but she couldn't find the 47 on any of the doors.

"69, 70, 71…Did I took the wrong turn..?" She mumbled.

"Hi, you seem a little lost." A familiar looking nurse stopped her. "Hey, I know you. Are you here to see Robbie?"

"Uhm…Hi. Yes, actually. But I am kinda lost…"

"Follow me."

Cat did as she was told, grateful that she was no longer lost, wandering around the hallways where a lot of people had certainly died. Just the thought of all the spirits and souls wandering around sent a shiver down her spine.

"It's so good to see that Robbie finally has a visit. Besides you spending that night here, he never really got any visitors, which is really sad. Poor guy. He just seems so lonely."

"He didn't? What about his family?" She asked curiously.

"No living relative, that's what he told me. I asked him if he wanted to call someone, he said he didn't have anyone to call."

"No wife or girlfriend? Not even a friend?" Cat asked horrified at the idea of not having anyone to turn to.

"He doesn't seem the «friendly type» anyway. Doesn't talk much…Well, we're here." The nurse smiled pointing to the room with the number 47 in the door.

"Thank you very much."

She walked in quietly, afraid he might be asleep. Instead, she found him laying in bed staring at the ceiling. For a moment she looked up, intrigued by what could possibly be interesting enough for him to stare at it intently. But she only saw a white colored ceiling, just as plain and lifeless as the rest of the hospital.

"Ahem."

He snapped out of his trance and was surprised to see her there. He wasn't expecting any visitors and definitely not expecting Cat.

"Hi." She waved, walking further into the room.

"Uhm…what are you doing here?"

"I…I just thought I should come visit you before your surgery. Give you some…uh…support."

"Oh."

…

"So, how are you feeling?" Cat asked, the awkwardness of the situation killing her. "Are you nervous?"

She now knew that Beck was right, she shouldn't have come. The guy definitely didn't want her around. She regretted questioning him in the first place and considered just running out the door right there and then. But Robbie smiled and all her doubts vanished.

"I'm sorry." He chuckled. "I really wasn't expecting to see you."

"I can go if you want…"

"No, no, you're fine. I'm just surprised that's all. Uhmm…I'm feeling good. My knee has been acting up lately though so the doctor said surgery was the only option for fixing the bone. He said I had nothing to worry about though."

"That must be scary." She told him sitting in the chair closest to his bed. "I cracked my head open when I was little while playing Hide 'n Seek and I had to get stitches which was a nightmare. I was so scared."

* * *

They spent an afternoon together, with Cat telling the most random stories about her brother. How he used to be such a weird guy and now is married with two beautiful children; Calleb and Ella.

He listened to her, amused at how she could jump from topic to topic, telling him basically her whole life. That was something he knew he wasn't able to do. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that though he was a stranger, she was still comfortable enough to tell him such personal things.

So when she switched the spotlight to him, he could only feel uncomfortable, starting to sweat as the urge to run out of the room was greater than any pain he would certainly feel if he tried.

"Were you born and raised here or did you move out…?"

"I…Actually I was born in Minnesota."

"Really? I've been there once with my parents when I was a little girl. Why did you move here?"

"Uhm…long story. I vaguely remember since I was only a kid." He shrugged.

"Oh. Do you like it better here or there though?"

"I…It's a tough decision, I can't pick one." He smiled.

"You're still here so there must be something holding you here." She laughed.

Robbie's face fell but he got himself together before Cat could notice any change of his mood.

"It must be nice there…I've always wanted to live in a house by a lake." She dreamily confessed. "Beck would never leave our apartment though. Sometimes I think he loves that apartment more than he loves me."

"Must be a really nice apartment." Robbie said making Cat giggle as she got up to go to the sink, filling a cup of water when she got there.

That giggle triggered a reaction in him that he never imagined he could have again. It reminded him of his mother. The way that sound escaped her lips and travelled through the air until it reached his ears. A beautiful melody that could melt even the coldest souls and heal even the most damaged hearts.

And Robbie only now noticed how pretty the woman actually was. Perhaps it was her personality that made him take a second look. Or perhaps he was getting infatuated by all the attention she was giving that no one else has ever given to him.

All he could do was smile as he watched her, her vibrant red locks contrasting her tanned skin bouncing as she happily skipped up to him, her smile lighting up the whole room while her dimple poked her slightly tinted cheek.

And at that moment _he looked at her like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time._

* * *

**A/N: I promised a double update, didn't I? :D**

**Sooo…Cat and Robbie are semi-friends now I would dare say ;) And Robbie at the end there…uhmmm… You've all noticed he's an anti-social so all those feelings Cat's provoking on him are a bit suspicious :D In other news, Beck is not just a jerk. He loves Cat! Or am I reading the signs wrong?**

**Just let me know in the reviews what you thought and make me happy!**

**Hope this made up for me abandoning you guys and the story for a while :)**

**xo –Sofia **


	4. One Step Closer

Cat was never a fan of hospitals. She would avoid them at all cost no matter the circumstances. She didn't even visit her sister-in-law after she had Calleb and Ella. So for her to spend all of her free time there was a big deal, at least in Beck's eyes.

He had talked to Cat about it but she, after getting offended by the question, dismissively told him that it was the least she could do for Robbie and that they were lucky he didn't press charges against them. He had his surgery but, even after that, the visits didn't stop.

_"I just can't understand why you have to spend all your free time in a hospital when you could be using that time to plan your wedding." Said her mother one day when Cat took her out for lunch._

_"Mother, the wedding plans are going great. I even got someone to help me!" She lied._

_"And who would you prefer helping you rather than me? I know Tori isn't helping you because I tried to get some information out of her and she knew as much as I did." _

_"When did you- Forget it. I got…uhm…Jade! Yeah, Jade wanted to help me out and I couldn't say no." Cat lied again, avoiding any eye contact by helping herself to more salad._

_"Jade?" Her mother asked intrigued and skeptical at the same time. "I would never imagine Jade wanting to plan a wedding…"_

_"Jade's different mom. She's not the same girl she used to be when she was 13."_

_"Judging by the clothes she still insists to wear, I wouldn't think so…"_

_"Jade's fashion choices don't matter to the subject. The point is, I'm taking care of the wedding, okay?"_

Robbie's recovery was going better than the doctors could expect. He still needed physical therapy if he wanted to fully recover but he was open to any treatment if that meant he could walk and run on that leg without any complications.

Cat was there for him the day of his surgery, though she hadn't originally planned to. He just seemed so nervous the day before. And the 5 hours she had to wait for him to be out of surgery were the longest 5 hours of her life. She sat there anxiously playing with her hands until the double doors opened and Robbie, finally, was brought in a hospital bed by two men.

_"Hi sleepyhead." She smiled at the man who was struggling to open his eyes._

_After a moment he was able to keep his eyes open though he felt extremely drowsy. By pure instinct, Cat brushed a hand through his forehead and curls._

_"Hey." His voice was raspy due to the tube he had down his throat during surgery. "It's over already?"_

_"Already?" Cat chuckled. "I waited 5 hours for you while you were in the O.R. plus 2 hours that took you to finally wake up."_

_"That long?" He scrunched his nose in a cute fashion making Cat smile. _

_"Yeah, that long. You owe me 7 hours now." She teased. "How are you feeling?"_

_"My brain is a bit…slow." _

_"Nothing out of the ordinary." Cat teased. _

_"You think you're so funny, don't you?" He chuckled. _

Any plans Cat had were all cancelled that week he stayed at the hospital. And even the ones that weren't cancelled, she forgot about them because of him. He was her n_umber one priority_, much to Beck's dismay.

_"Cat, I paid the guy to specifically not book anything until we saw the place! Are you kidding me now?" A very angry Beck asked in disbelief._

_"Just schedule for another day Beck. Ask my dad money. It's nothing you haven't done before."_

_"We don't have a date, or a guest list, or a place for OUR WEDDING and you tell me to ask your dad for money? What's that gonna do? It's not like I can buy your interest on your own wedding!"_

_"I need to go now. Robbie's expecting me. Figure it out." She said heading out._

Even at work she was neglecting her responsibilities. When Robbie called her saying he had been dismissed by the hospital, she was so excited she offered to go pick him up and go celebrate, completely forgetting Tori had a TV appearance scheduled for that afternoon.

_"Where are you Cat?" Andre asked with concern on the other side of the phone. "You're supposed to be on your way to the studio with Tori for her interview!"_

_After mentally face-palming herself, Cat apologized to Andre for not being able to make it. _

_"Isn't there anyone else?"_

_"Anyon- Cat, you're her manager! You're supposed to go with her!"_

_"I'm sorry Andre, I'll pick her up right way. Can you delay the interview towards the end of the show? Tell them something happened. Pretty please?"_

_"I…" Andre sighed. "You better hurry up. And you owe me big time for saving your ass all the time lately."_

_"Thank you Dre! You're the best!"_

_"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes. "Just get there already."_

She made it in time and Tori was able to do her interview. She knew she was in _big trouble._ However, she was so happy Robbie was finally going home, she didn't dwell on her mistake for long.

"I need to make a quick stop before we go home." Cat informed Tori when they were driving back, making a turn to the hospital.

"Quick stop? Why are you turning to the hospital parking lot?" The Latina asked, not very happy with it.

"I need to pick up Robbie. I offered to take him home. Now get on the back." The smaller girl ordered after parking her car.

"What? Why do I have to go in the back? I got here first!" Tori protested.

"Stop being childish and get in the back. It's my car, my rules."

"Ugh! Fine!"

The girls got out and while Tori moved to the back, Cat made her way to the front entrance where Robbie was already waiting.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. LA traffic, you know how it is…"

"It's fine Cat, don't worry." Robbie said, standing up with the help of two crutches.

"Let me help you."

The girl picked his backpack and guided him outside to her car. She opened the door for him and closed it, quickly making her way to her side of the door.

"I don't see why he couldn't ride in the back." Tori spoke making Robbie jump in surprise.

"Uhm…that's Tori. I'm sorry she has to ride with us." Cat rudely said as Robbie nodded to her awkwardly in an attempt to greet her.

"Well, I'm sorry if I interrupt something! I can always walk home if I'm bothering you." Tori sarcastically said crossing her arms in a childish way.

Cat shot daggers at her before throwing Robbie's bag in the back seat, intentionally hitting her in the process. After a few moments of glares and mumbles the girls were able to act like civilized adults.

"Don't forget we still have to stop at Andre's house. You're not escaping a lecture."

Cat sighed before looking at Robbie.

"It's okay. We'll celebrate another day." He said making Tori raise an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all. You have work stuff to take care. It's fine, really."

"Then I'll take you home first."

The whole ride was filled with the most awkward silence any of them had ever experienced. Robbie was clearly uncomfortable with Tori and Cat knew he wouldn't appreciate if she talked in front of her so she kept quiet only opening her mouth to ask Robbie directions to his house.

When they got to their destination Cat hopped out of the car to help Robbie out of the car, leaving Tori alone. She switched seats again and waited for Cat, always keeping an eye on them.

"I'm sorry about her. I really didn't plan on having to babysit her…" Cat sighed as Robbie chuckled.

"It's okay."

"So this is where you live?" Cat asked eyeing the small house.

"Yeah. I would invite you inside but…" He trailed off nodding towards her car and Tori.

"Yeah…" She replied sadly. "I'm really happy you're out of the hospital Robbie. I know all the pain Beck and I caused you and I feel terrible for it-"

"Haven't we been through this already?" He smirked. "Stop apologizing. I'm fine now. And I got this radical crutches too! I never had crutches in my life. I actually was wondering what it would be like to walk around in crutches and now I know!"

Cat giggled at the comment and Robbie had the urge to poke her dimple that was visible.

"Tori's waiting for you. You should go." He stated.

"I know…Well, I'll see you soon. Call me so we can plan a celebratory party, will you?"

"Sure." He laughed. "I will."

Cat, being the girl she was, wrapped her arms around the man in front of her in a heart-warming hug. Robbie was a little surprised at first but, eventually, wrapped an arm around the petite girl while the other supported him with the crutch.

The sound of Cat's car horn separated the two as they both looked to see Tori with the heel of her hand glued to the steering wheel.

"I'm coming!" Cat shouted. "Ugh, I really have to go now…"

"Have fun." He teased.

"I might just leave you outside then and not help you open the door." She teased back.

"I'm perfectly capable of opening my door."

"But you aren't capable to run after me if I drive away with your keys." She challenged, swinging his keys in front of his glass covered eyes.

"Okay, okay, you win." Robbie laughed. "Just open the door, Tori's getting impatient."

Cat took her time to help Robbie and say goodbye to him one more time but she eventually made her way back to the car.

"What was that?" Tori interrogated her friend.

"What was what?"

"What just happened!" She insisted motioning between Cat and Robbie's house.

"It was nothing."

"Cat…"

"What Tori? It's nothing! Are you gonna lecture me too about him?"

"Cat you've been seeing this guy every day. Sometimes twice a day. It's not very normal…"

"Why isn't it normal Tori? I don't see the problem. But everyone else seems to see one."

"The problem is you don't even know the guy…I mean, it's bad that Beck hit him and all but it's just…the whole situation is just weird!"

"Robbie's my friend Tori. I can see him when I feel like it without having to give an explanation to everyone. He's not just some random guy Beck ran over. Now he's my friend. So I would appreciate if everyone and their mother stopped giving me crap about it."

"Friend? Now he's your friend? Cat, for all you know he could be a…a…a serial killer! He's always lonely and all…it's a possibility."

"Robbie's not a serial killer Tori. Don't be ridiculous. He wouldn't hurt a fly; you just don't know him like I do. Stop being dramatic."

"You have to admit he's a bit creepy though…He might not be the person you think he is. I'm just saying this because you're my friend and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Robbie's not creepy. He just…has a unique way of acting around people. But that's just the way he is. He's been hurt before so he likes to be cautious around people."

"You never know it for sure." Tori insisted.

"Tori, trust me. Robbie's the sweetest guy I have ever met. He has a good heart even though he doesn't show it to everyone. He's…He's funny! Really funny, he's always making me laugh. And he's just…he's just a really good person who I love to hang out with."

Tori looked at her friend skeptically trying to read her. With a sharp movement, she grabbed the red head's wrist putting her hand in front of her face.

"Cat, do you know what's in that finger?"

"It's my engagement ring. Why are you-"

"Do I need to remind you that you are almost a married woman?"

"Wha…" Realization spread on her face, immediately giving a dirty look to the Latina. "What are you insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuating anything, I'm just making sure you know that you have a man working his butt off to be able to give you a future and a family. Beck's what's right for you Cat. Don't ruin it."

"Look Tori, I appreciate your concern but my life is not your business. Robbie's a friend, stop treating him like a threat to me or to my relationship with Beck. I'm a grown woman, I know what I'm doing."

"Sorry! Whatever, ignore what I said. I'm just trying to help here."

"Well, I don't want your help or opinion on the subject. If you guys don't like Robbie that's your problem. I like him and that's all that matters."

"Sorry…I already shut my mouth…" Tori said before turning to look out her window.

The two girls settled in a tense silence as Cat drove away. The red head didn't like the accusations her friend made. Especially because she knew a guy like Robbie wouldn't take a second look at her. _And that was a hash reminder that she was stuck with Beck._

* * *

**A/N: New chapter! I decided to update because CabbieFluffQueen made me feel super guilty with her A/N. So this chapter is for you :p**

**I hope you guys like it! Don't expect a chapter soon because I have finals until the 26th. In fact, I have a final tomorrow but instead of studying, I decided to update so you guys don't kill me :) **

**Review pretty please! I would be very happy to read what you thought of this chapter (:**

**xo –Sofia **


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